learoyd



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

U S. LEAROYD.

APPLIANCE FOR EASING BOOTS 0R SHOES.

Patented Aug. 24, 1897.

(No Model.) I '2 SheetsSheet 2.

- S. LEAROYD.

APPLIANCE FOR EASING BOOTS OR SHOES.

No. 588,703. Patented Aug. 24,1897.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OF ICE.

SAM UEL LEAROYD, OF HUDDERSEIELD, ENGLAND.

APPLIANCE FOR EAS |N ,G Boots OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,703, dated August24, 1897.

Application fiiea'novemterlv, 1896; Serial N6. 612,453. (no model.) I

residing at Sherwood House, Huddersfield, in the county of York,England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Appliances forMaking New Boots or Shoes Easy and Comfortable to VVear,'of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to boots and shoes, and has for its object toprovide appliances for rendering new boots and shoes easy andcomfortable to wear.

Hitherto it has very often occurred that the wearer of new boots orshoes has been put to great suffering and inconvenience, which hassometimes had serious and permanent effects, owing to the fact that theboot or shoe, being stiff and not perfectly fitting the foot, requireswearing for some time before it approximates closely to the shape of thefoot and conforms to the movements thereof when the wearer is wallking,becoming thereby easy and comfortab e.

According to my invention I construct a mechanical foot or last onwhicha new boot or shoe can be placed, and provide means for bending andflexing the mechanical foot so as to imitate the movements of the humanfoot.

essary, so that the boot before being worn has imparted to it theeasiness and comfort in wear. commonly only associated with boots andshoes which have been worn for a considerable time.

In order that my invention may be clearly vation', partly sectional,illustrating a modified form of last. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4,Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is the elevation'of the toe part of a last, illustratinganother modification. Fig. 6 is a front elevation, and Fig. 7

By these means the leather is creased; stretched, and rendered flexiblewhere nec-' is a side elevation, of a machine for using with lastsconstructed according to my invention, part being removed.

The mechanical feet or lasts shown in the drawings are constructed ofwood in the ordinary way, having a heel part A, a front por- 'tion B,and the ordinary wedge C. I have observed that the movement of the toesof the human foot when walking is practically the only movement whichstretches and bends the leather of the boot. Consequently the toeportions only of my improved last are made to move.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the toe portion of the last is made infour parts, D D D D, adapted to move on rounded portions d when-the toeis to be bent upward. Between the parts D D extends a verticalwedge-shaped plate E, secured to the part B of the last. Said plate E isbroader at the top than at the bottom, so that when the toe portionisbent upward the parts D D tend to separate. The parts of the toe portionare maintained in position by a wire F passing round the groove F,formed on the outside of the parts. The ends of the wire are connectedto springs, one of whichis shown at Fig. 1 passing through holes orchannels F in the part B of the last,

being finally secured toward the rear of said part, as shown. Thesprings F cause the parts of the toe to return to the normal positionafter being bent upward.

In Figs. 3 and 4 a rather simpler form of mechanical footis shown, inwhich the toe is formed of three parts only, D D D, said parts beingconnected and maintained in position by springs F passing.throughprifices F in the parts D D and secured, as shown in Fig. 3, inthe parts D B of the last. A conical pin E, screwed in the frontpart Bof the last, takes the place of the wedge E in Figs. 1 and 2 and insuresparts D D separating when the toe portion is bent upward.

In Fig. 5 the toe part of the last is formed.

of a piece of vulcanized india-rubberG, which need not be secured to theremaining portion of the last, being maintained in position by the bootor shoe. A loop G is provided for extracting the toe part G from theboot when required. The part G may consist of two or more pieces ofindia-rubber, if desired.

shoes to be treated.

WVhen using my improved mechanical feet or lasts for the purposes ofstretching and rendering flexible a boot or shoe, the last is placed inthe boot or shoe to be stretched and the toe portion is caused to moveup and down, so as to imitate the action of the human foot in walking.By these means transverse creases are formed in the upper of the boot orshoe and the sole thereof rendered flexible. Moreover, owing to theaction of the wedge E in separating the parts D when the toe is bentupward, the upper of the boot is also considerably stretched. In thecase of a last having a toe portion of vulcanized india-rubber, asdescribed with reference to Fig. 5, I have found that the india-rub'berwhen bent upward also spreads laterally, so that the same effect isproduced.

For use with mechanical feet or lasts constructed according to myinvention, and in order to give an up-and-down motion to the toe portionthereof, I have designed a machine. (Shown in Figs. 6 and '7.) Thismachine is adapted to work on two boots, the right and left, at once.

II is a shaft adapted to rotate in suitable bearings in uprights 1-1 H.Secured to the shaft are two eccentrics I1 I1 with straps andconnecting-rods H to the other end of which are attached flexible platesH The free ends of the plates H are secured to a suitable base I. Theboots or shoes J, having mechanical feet or lasts K of a descriptionsimilar to those hereinabove described, for example, inserted therein,are secured to the base-board in position above the plates H by means ofthe strap L and heel-piece L. The toes of the boots may also be securedby clamps, such as H to their respective plates. For the sake ofclearness one of said clamps is omitted in Fig. 7. Other means ofsecuring the boots or shoes in position on the plates H may be arranged,provided that sufiicient freedom is allowed from the toe portions of thelasts and boots to move upward.

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the shaft H is rotatedby suitable means, such as the handle M, the eccentrics H cause thoseparts of spring-plates H underneath the toes of the boots to alternatelyrise and fall, thus bending up said toe portions. The rear portions ofthe lasts and boots are maintained stationary by the strap L. By thisup-and-down motion, as hereinabove described, the upper and sole of theboot or shoe is rendered flexible and stretched Where necessary.

Although it is desirable that the lasts should imitate as closely aspossible the feet of the person for whose boots or shoes they areintended, accurate fitting of the last is not essential for the purposeof my invention, it being sufficient to select from a series of lastsmade to stock sizes of boots and shoes that which is nearest to the sizeof the boots or The lasts will obviously require to be made in pairs forright and left boots and shoes.

My improved mechanical feet or lasts can be used for boot-trees, theirnormal position being the same as that of ordinary lasts.

Although I have hereinabove described various methods of making myimproved last and also a machine for use therewith, I wish it understoodthat I do not confine myself to the precise mechanisn shown, as variousdetails of the construction may be altered without departing from thenature of my invention.

What I claim is 1. In a last, the combination of a rigid rear portion, alaterally-expansible and'verticallyflexible toe portion and means forcausing said toe portion to spread laterally when it is bent upward,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a last, the combination of arigid rear portion, a toe portionconsisting of sections divided longitudinally, and flexibly connected tothe rear portion so as to bend vertically, and means for causing saidsections to separate laterally when the toe portion is bent upwardsubstantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a last, the combination of a rigid rear portion, a toe portionconsisting of sections divided along the median line, and a wedgesecured to the rear portion and projectingin the median line between thesections forming the toe portion, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

4. In a last, the combination of a rigid rear portion, a toe portionconsisting of sections pivotally attached to the said rear portion andto each other and divided along the median line, and a wedge secured tothe rear portion and projecting in the median line between the sectionsforming the toe portion, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In a last, the combination of a rigid rear portion, a toe portionconsisting of sections divided in the median line, and a conical pinsecured in the rear portion and projecting in the median line betweenthe sections forming the toe portion, substantially as described.

6. In a last the combination of a rigid rear portion, a toe portionconsisting of sections divided along the median line, means for causingsaid sections to spread laterally when the toe portion is bent upward,and springs securing the toe portion to the rear part of the last,substantially as described.

7. In a machine for use with lasts having a flexible toe portion, thecombination of means for holding the rear portion of the last rigid withmeans for imparting an alternate up-and-down movement to the flexibletoe portion of the last, for the purpose specified.

8. In a machine for use with lasts having a flexible toe portion thecombination of a base, means for securing the rear portion of the lastrigidly to said base, a spring-plate passing under the sole of the lastand secured at one end of the base near the heel thereof,

and means for moving the free end of said plate up and down,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. In a machine for use with lasts having a flexible toe portion, thecombination of a base, means for securing the rear portion of the lastrigidly to said base, a spring-plate passing under the sole of the lastand secured to the base near the heel thereof a rod pivoted at one endto the free end of said springplate and connected at the other end to aneccentric and means for rotating the eccentric so as to give anup-and-down motion to the 15 connecting-rod, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL LEAROYD.

Witnesses:

J NO. RAMSDEN, O. E. CRAVEN.

